Commentary on Psalms
Israel. Regarding Psalm 124:3, evil people will not be allowed to destroy the good subjects, but after the good have suffered a little from them, He will free them from harmful slavery, which will not dare to fall upon those beginning under God. Regarding Psalm 126:1-2, Solomon is inscribed to the song because he built the temple. But he signifies the true Solomon, our Lord, the cause of the true and peaceful building. Therefore, this building is also shown to be god-made, and the firm guard in guarding according to God; and this is fitting, since the buildings, guards, and night-watches through men were passing into vainness, and the daytime care and toil. Therefore, such human things came forward so that the divine alone might be known to possess the firm and unchangeable, just as justice came through law so that God's justice might be shown with it, having the genuine and the only true, and true life after that which is in shadow and in image. When He gives sleep to His beloved, He has revealed the rest from God, resembling sleep, which will be given out of love.
Regarding Psalm 126:4a, 'Indeed, You have made me,' he says, 'Judah, as a bow to myself.' And here he speaks of the arrows of the Mighty toward the remaining saints against those lower than the ungodly and with injustice violent.
Regarding Psalm 127:1, many and various are the ways of entrance, and many-sided are the lives of those beginning, but one is the perfection reaching the summit. He characterizes those fearing the Lord, whoever they are, having said thus: 'Those walking in His ways.' For those not doing this do not fear the Lord. For the fear of the Lord is a turning away from evils, but he who is turned away from evils is ready for the divine ways.
Regarding Psalm 129:1b-2, it is possible for that from the depth, like waters, of the poured-out afflictions, but the endurance and the repetition of the same, being surpassed and being exhausted, and not willing to lift up the supplication because of desire. Therefore, 'Hear my voice and let your ears be attentive.' Regarding Psalm 131:6, to David, who had not foreseen, the place became manifest from the matter itself.
Therefore, 'We have heard and found,' he says, that God showed the threshing floor to Ornathan, upon which the altar was built to prevent the decaying death of the Hebrew race (Ps 131:8). Having loved the discovery as having known that which was desired of old, he rejoices in the thing and loves the worship there. It is there that he says God's presence occurs, because the glory of God became manifest through the presence of the angel.
Similarly, he says, he foretells the time concerning Solomon (Ps 131:9), in which the ark is moved from the tent and is established in the temple, and a divine glory shone and a cloud covered the house. These things, he says, we see to have happened to Solomon according to the words of David (Ps 131:10). For the favor is toward David (Ps 131:10). Even if the blessing is toward those after him, just as it is said in opposition to Solomon, that because of David all his kingship shall not fall, and indeed it has passed even to the descendants because of David's mercy, just as it is said concerning Hezekiah, 'I am a shield for this city because of David my servant' (2 Kings 22:20).
To the former and briefer gifts, it brings the greatest, being a preservation of all those (Ps 132:15). For he gave abundance of food from the beginning, which is called Thiran, though another interprets it as grain. And he promises to make the inhabitants satisfied, and he has made the counsel of priests and holy ones to be saved and to preside with the holy hymns. But of all these, having already been corrupted, and the nation being unable to enjoy even the good things of the earth because of the Roman authority, with the priesthood falling away and all the joy in the temple being dissolved, the great power—the horn of David, which has the power to gore all enemies, a fitting lamp shining with heavenly light for David and for his race, who, having begun at once upon all the world, sends out the torch, just as the prophet Simeon says, 'A light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel' (Luke 2:32).
And the parable was of a divine matter, and that of the ointment; but the one from God is more prominent, according to the parable of the dew falling from heaven upon the mountains. For the gift and the good thing are heavenly, not human, nor appearing among men apart from the gift from above.
Greek
Ἰσραήλ. 254 Ps 124,3 Ἀλλ' οὔτε πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν ἐάσει διαφθείρεσθαι τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ὑπηκόους, ἀλλ' ὀλίγον πονήσαντας ὑπὸ τούτων τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἐλευθερώσει δουλείας βλαβερᾶς οὐ τολμώσης ἐπελθεῖν τοῖς ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἀρχομένοις. 255 Ps 126,1.2 Σαλομῶν ἐπιγράφεται τῷ ᾄσματι, διότι τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησε. σημαίνει δὲ τὸν ἀληθῆ Σολόμωνα κύριον ἡμῶν, αἴτιον τῆς ἀληθινῆς καὶ εἰρηνικῆς οἰκοδομίας. διὸ καὶ θεοποίητος ἡ οἰκοδομία αὕτη δηλοῦται καὶ ἡ φυλακὴ βέβαιος ἐν τῷ φυλάττεσθαι κατὰ θεόν· καὶ τοῦτο εἰκότως ὅτι διέπεσον εἰς μάταιον αἱ δι' ἀνθρώπων οἰκοδομίαι καὶ φρουραὶ καὶ ἀγρυπνίαι φρουρούντων ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ τὸ δι' ἡμέρας ἐπιμελὲς καὶ ἐπίπονον. διὸ καὶ προεισῆλθε τὰ ἀνθρώπεια τοιαῦτα ὄντα, ἵνα ἐπιγνωσθείη τὰ θεῖα μόνα δὴ τὸ βέβαιον καὶ ἀμετάστατον ἔχοντα, ὥσπερ καὶ δικαιοσύνη προσῆλθε διὰ νόμου, ἵν' ἡ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη μετ' αὐτὸν ὀφθείη τὸ γνήσιον καὶ τὸ μόνον ἀληθινὸν ἔχουσα καὶ ζωή γε ἀληθὴς μετὰ τὴν ἐν σκιᾷ καὶ ἐν εἰκόνι. Ὅταν δῷ τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς αὐτοῦ ὕπνον. τὴν παρὰ θεοῦ δεδήλωκεν ἀνάπαυλαν ὕπνῳ ἐοικυῖαν ἐξ ἀγάπης δοθησομένην. 256 Ps 126,4a Ἐνέτεινα γάρ σε, φησίν, Ἰούδα, ἐμαυτῷ ὡς τόξον. καὶ ἐνταῦθα βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ τοὺς καταλειπομένους ἁγίους λέγει πρὸς ἧτταν τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ σὺν ἀδικίᾳ βιαίων. 257 Ps 127,1 Πολλαὶ μὲν καὶ διάφοροι αἱ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς ὁδοὶ καὶ πολύτροποι τῶν ἀρχομένων οἱ βίοι, μία δὲ ἡ εἰς ἄκρον φθάνουσα τελειότης. χαρακτηρίζει δὲ τοὺς φοβουμένους τὸν κύριον, ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσιν ἑξῆς εἰπών· Οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ. οἱ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο ποιοῦντες οὐ φοβοῦνται τὸν κύριον. φόβος μὲν γὰρ κυρίου κακῶν ἀποτροπή, ὁ δὲ τῶν κακῶν ἀποτετραμμένος ἕτοιμος εἰς τὰς θείας ὁδούς. 258 Ps 129,1b.2 ∆ύναιτο δὲ τὸ ἐκ βάθους οἷον ὑδάτων τῶν περικεχυμένων θλίψεων, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ καὶ ἡ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπανάληψις ἐξεχομένου καὶ ἐξηρτημένου καὶ μὴ θέλοντος τὴν ἱκεσίαν ἀνεῖναι διὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. διὰ τοῦτο Εἰσάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ γενηθήτω τὰ ὦτά σου προσέχοντα. 259 Ps 131,6 Οὐ προεννοήσαντι τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος αὐτοῦ καταφανὴς ὁ τόπος ἐγένετο. διὸ καὶ Ἠκούσαμεν καὶ εὕρομεν λέγει, ὅτι πρόσταγμα θεοῦ τὴν ἅλωνα ὑπέδειξε τὴν Ὀρνᾶ ἐφ' ἧς τὸ θυσιαστήριον ᾠκοδόμησε πρὸς ἀποτροπὴν τοῦ φθείροντος θανάτου τὴν Ἑβραίων γενεάν. ὑπεραγαπήσας τε τὴν εὕρεσιν ὡς ἂν τὸ πάλαι ποθούμενον ἐγνωκώς, χαίρει τῷ πράγματι καὶ τὴν ἐνταῦθα προσκύνησιν ἀγαπᾷ. ἔνθα δὴ καὶ θεοῦ φησιν ἐπιδημίαν γενέσθαι, διότι καὶ ἐκφανὴς ἡ θεοῦ δόξα διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀγγέλου παρουσίας ἐγένετο. 260 Ps 131,8 Ὁμοίως, φησί, τὸν καιρὸν προλέγει τὸν ἐπὶ Σολόμωνος· ἐν ᾧ μετάγεται ἡ κιβωτὸς ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς καὶ εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἵδρυται, θεία τε ἐπεφαίνετο δόξα καὶ νεφέλης ἐμπίπλα τὸν οἶκον. 261 Ps 131,9 Ταῦτα, φησίν, ὁρῶμεν ἐπὶ Σολόμωνος γεγενῆσθαι κατὰ τοὺς ∆αυὶδ λόγους. 262 Ps 131,10 Πρὸς γὰρ ∆αυὶδ τὸ εὐμενές. εἰ καὶ εἰς τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν ἡ εὐεργεσία ὥσπερ καὶ ἄντικρυς λέγεται πρὸς τὸν Σολόμωνα διὰ τὸν ∆αυὶδ μὴ ἀποπεσεῖσθαι πάντῃ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτόν, καὶ δὴ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀπογόνους διαβέβηκεν ἦ διὰ τὸν ∆αυὶδ φειδώ, ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἐζεκίαν λέγεται Ὑπερασπιῶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης διὰ ∆αυὶδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου. 263 Ps 131,15®17 Ταῖς προτέραις καὶ βραχείαις δωρεαῖς τὴν 36 μεγίστην ἐπιφέρει τὴν ἁπασῶν ἐκείνων περισωστικήν. τροφῆς γὰρ εὐπορίαν ἔδωκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἣν Θήραν καλεῖ, σίτησιν δὲ ἕτερος ἑρμηνεύει. καὶ τοὺς οἰκήτορας ἀνενδεεῖς καταστήσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται, περί τε ἱερέων καὶ ὁσίων βουλὴν πεποίηται σῴζεσθαί τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῖς ὕμνοις τοῖς ἱεροῖς προσεδρεύειν. τούτων δὲ ἁπάντων ἤδη διεφθαρμένων καὶ μήτε τῶν τῆς γῆς ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύειν δυναμένου τοῦ ἔθνους διὰ τὸ Ῥωμαίων ἐξουσίᾳ περιπεσεῖν τῆς τε ἱερατείας διαπιπτούσης καὶ τῆς εὐφροσύνης τῆς ἐν τῷ ναῷ διαλελυμένης ἁπάσης, ἡ μεγάλη δύναμις ἀνέτειλεν αὐτόθι τὸ κέρας τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ὃ πᾶσαν ἐχθρῶν κερατίζει δύναμιν, λύχνος εὐπρεπὴς οὐρανίῳ φωτὶ καταλάμπων τῷ ∆αυὶδ καὶ τῷ ἐκείνου γένει ὃς καὶ αὐτόθι ἀρξάμενος ἐπὶ πάντα κόσμον ἐκπέμπει τὴν λαμπηδόνα καθά φησιν ὁ προφήτης Συμεὼν Φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ. 264 Ps 132,3 Καὶ θείου μὲν πράγματος ἦν παραβολὴ καὶ ἡ τοῦ μύρου, ἐπιφανέστερον δὲ τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ κατὰ τὴν τῆς δρόσου παραβολὴν γίνεται τὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατιοῦσαν ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη. οὐράνιον γὰρ τὸ δῶρον καὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπειον οὐδὲ χωρὶς τῆς ἄνωθεν δωρεᾶς ἐν ἀνθρώποις φαινόμενον.
About this text
Apollinaris of Laodicea on the Psalms (catena fragments).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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